Electric vaporizer.



C. G. TATE.

ELECTRIC VAPOBIZEH. APPLICATION HYLED FEB-15. me.

1,136,84 5, k Patented Apr.20,1915.

2 SHEETB-BHEET l.

WITNESSES IN VENTOR Gliic'a e,'eounty of Cook, and 'noi-EI, aveinventeda certain new and, use

onetime e. Turn, on enxcnco, rumors, ASSIGNOR 'ro unrrnn MOTOR EQUIPMENTI ea, or CHICAGO, rumors, e conrona'rrou or MAINE.

Licences Application filed February To all whom it may concern:

ilt it known that 1, CHARLES G. Tarn, a numerthe United States residingat state of 1111- ijtul Improvement in Electric Vaporizers ferinConnection with Gas-Engines.

v My invention relates to that filass of de- .vic es which are designedto vaporize the initial. charges oic'gas by the application of heat,generated by electricity so as to enable the operator to start hisengine with comparative ease, regardless of the atmos pherictemperature. Devices ot'this kind with which I am familiar, areobjectionable from the fact that they use too much current and requiretoo long a time to vaporize the fuel.

A further objection is that they require a good many changes to be madein adapt ing them to engines which are used in auto mobiles.

My invention has for its object to provide a form of vaporizer whichwhen used will be practically instantaneous in vaporizing, and has forits further object to provide a device which can be employed with anystandard type of engine without materially changing the same.

My means of accomplishing the foregoing objects may be readilyunderstood by having; reference to the accompanying drawings which arehereto annexed and are a. part of this specification, 'in which Figure 1is a side elevation of a carbureter,

I intake pipe and a fragment of the manifold of the engine, afragmentary portion of the dash of the automobile being shown with thefuel and electric control mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged crosssection of my improved vaporizer. Fig. 3 is a verticaliongitudinal'section of the same.

Similar reference numerals refer to similarpart's throughoug the entiredescription. As shown in the drawings, 1 is the vaporirer preferablyformed of insulation material, which is secured to the flange 2 of theintake pipe 3 which leads to the manifold 4, a fragmentary portion ofthe latter only being shown. V

5 is the carburetor which is of the usual form, one of the standardmakes being shown for illustration; it being. apparent that the use ofmy device'is not dependent upon any particular type or kind of canbureter.

The vaporizer 1 is formed as more clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3, withholes 6 and? which are adapted to register withbolts S and 9 whichsecure the carburetor to the flange 2 of the intake pipe 3. Thevaporizer l is formed with an annular chamber 10 and a central passage11 which corresponds to the size of the inlet pipe 3. The inner wall 12of the annular chamber 10 is provided with a plurality of minuteperforations 13 which lead from the interior of the chamber to thecentral passage 11. 14 is a wire ribbon formed of suitable electricalresistance material and is secured to binding posts 15 and 16 which areconnected by means of wire cables 17 and 18, the wire 17 leading to theswitch 19, the wire 18 leading to one terminal of a battery (not shown).The annular chamber which I have described above is of relatively smallcapacity; the resistance element is located centrally of said chamber;the fuel flows directly over and around the resistance element; theinner wall of the chamber is provided with a series of minuteperforations which not only confine the fuel within the chamber whilegasification takes place but which are also of such small size that theescaping vapor being under greater pressure than atmospheric practicallyacts to seal said chamber against the admission of air as soon asgasification l'iegins with the important result-that, oxygen beingexcluded, the

resistance element may be heated to inversal joint 27 and is attached toa valve" stem 28 which controls the. flow of fuel through a valve 29mounted in he supply pipe 30, which leads from a T 01. mounted in themain feed line 32, which conveys the fuel to the carburetor The wallsotthe chamber 10 are lined with mica 3 t or some suitable heat insulation,so that in the event the switch 19 is closed when the supply of fuel isexhausted, the heat of the resistance will not damage the vaporizer; Thevalve 29 leads to a passage 33 which extends to the interior of theannular chamber 10.

The operation of the device is as follows: The operator rotates thehandle 22. This results-inclosing the electric circuit so that thecur'rent flows to the resistance coil 14:, which is connected inmultiple so that it flows in both directions in the annular chamber 10,as the ribbon employed for this purpose is very thin, it becomes red hotalmost instantaneously. The operation of closing the electric circuitalso opens the valve 29 and this permits the fuel to flow into theannular chamber 10, as the opening in the valve 29 is very minute, onlya very small portion of fuel is permitted to enter the chamber, with theresult that as it comes in contact with the red hot resistance coil, itis instantly vaporized and finds its way through the vaporizer openings13, into the central passage 11, whence it is drawn by the suction ofthe piston into the explosion chamber in the cylinders of the engine.

Practice has shown. that .-by. the use of this device, an'engine can bestartcd with a quarter turn even in zero weather. At the same time itwill be apparent to persons skilled in the art, that it can be adaptedto practically every automobile without making any material changes inthe machine.

v As soon as the engine has picked up speed the operator reverses thehandle 22, cutting out the switch and closing the valve :29 by shuttingoilthe further flow of fuel to the annular chamber 10, and the enginedraws in its fuel through the carbureter in theusualmanne'r a Theparticular construction which I have above described and illustratedmay, of course, be modified, but it apparently has the followingimportant structural advantages which produce corresponding results,that is to say, in order to effectually vapor-- ize the fuel practicallyinstantaneously, the vaporizing chamber must be of limited area; thefuel to be vaporized must be brought into immediate contact .with theresistance element; the fuel must be confined Within the vaporizingchamber until vaporization has taken place; the vaporizing chamber mustbe sealed or practically sealed to the atmosphere while the vaporizationof the liquid and the discharge of the vapor from.

the chamber is taking place.

Having described my invention What I regard as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. A liquid fuel vaporizer having a vaporizing chamber, an exposedelectrical resistance unit located within said chamber, a liquid fuelsupply communicating with said vaporizing chamber, said vaporizingchamsaid intake,

whereby the vaporizing chamber is sealed to the atmosphere by the excesspressure of the vapors passing through said restricted out let.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enginecylinder, 8 combustible mixture intake for said cylinder, a vaporizer insaid intake, said vaporizer including a body portion having a recessprovided with a restricter communicating with a resistance wire in saidrecess, said wire being adapted to be electrically heated toincandcscence, and means for admitting combustible fluid to said recessand directly into contact with said incandescent wire, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enginecylinder an "sat, carburetor, a conduit between said cylinder",

' combination of an engine cylinder, a carbureter, a vaporizerinterposed in a conduit between said cylinder and carbureter, saidvaporizer being provided with a chamber having communication with saidconduit by a plurality of minute apertures, means for supplying liquidfuel to said chamber, a resistance unit in .said chamber, electricalmeans for heating said unit to incandescence, whereby the fuel isinstantly vaporized by direct contact with said unit, ignition of saidfuel being prevented by the exclusion of oxygen from said chamber,substantially as described.

5. A liquid fuel vaporizer having a vaporizing chamber, a heating unitwithin said chamber, means for heating said unitto incandescencc, aliquid fuelsupply communicating with said vaporizing chamber, andadapted to direct the fuel into actual contact with said incandescentunit, said chamber having a restricted outlet for the vapor whereby saidchamber is sealed to the atmosphere by the excess pressure of the vaporspassing through said restricted outlet, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have signed the foregoing specification.

CHARLES G. TATE.

Witnesses:

K. Donner, C. M. BAUMEIs'rER.

